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Text Sleipnir picked thoughtfully at the food Rainbow Dash had set out, and the blue Pegasus glared at him as he ground his teeth slowly back and forth while Big Mac half-hid a smile behind a hoof and Apple Bloom gazed wonderingly up at the giant. They sat together on the rear deck, Applejack at the head of the table, on the one hoof relieved and on the other deeply-irritated. To her, the giant was irrational, nonsensical, and crude... and yet he was also charming, charismatic, and possibly more intelligent than he acted. At the intelligence center, after all, he had only taken a glance at the large map on the wall before he'd laughed and clapped his hooves, saying he was delighted to see Luna was learning. And when Applejack had asked him what he meant, he'd grinned and replied easily: "Why, 'tis obvious. Luna has her droves stationed where they can cut off the trade routes. How was this missed?" It had earned both respect and severe frustration: Sleipnir seemed to take nothing seriously, airily explaining this or that and then dismissing the information as unimportant, randomly going off on tangents, talking about how much he adored his little sister and telling them embarrassing stories about her and Celestia that would have been funny had they not been faced with two of the most powerful ponies in Equestria as their enemies. When Rainbow Dash had come by to pick her up, his first reaction had been to stare in amazement... but it had soured after Sleipnir had invited himself along to dinner, saying he wanted to get to know them better. Applejack thought he had some hidden motive... but also thought that he clearly enjoyed annoying people, although the giant earth pony was fairly civil with Big Mac and treated Apple Bloom as if she was a niece he'd known for years. Finally, Sleipnir picked up his plate and loudly shoved his face into it, slurping up the last of his food as Apple Bloom covered her mouth to suppress her giggles and Applejack sighed, dropping her head moodily forwards. Rainbow Dash, however, only stared before he glared at the titanic earth pony when he slowly peered over the top of his plate, a few bits of lettuce and other cut-up vegetables dripping off it as the Pegasus muttered: "Great. This is just great. I really see the resemblance here between you and Luna." "Aye, I know, I'm very pretty." Sleipnir said seriously, dropping the plate on the table before leaning forwards, crossing his hooves beneath his muzzle and fluttering his eyes at the Pegasus. "So apparently as thy wife gets mad if I flirt with her, shall I flirt with thee instead, oh large and handsome husband to the pinecone mare?" Rainbow twitched, glaring across at the male as Apple Bloom giggled loudly again, and then Applejack cleared her throat and leaned forwards, saying grouchily to her younger sibling: "Honey, maybe you can do us a favor; run in, put on coffee and get the desserts." Apple Bloom blushed a bit, but then she slipped out of her seat and hurried to the back door, obviously not wanting to miss the conversation as Sleipnir smiled at Applejack, then clicked his tongue and winked at Rainbow Dash, who stared for a moment longer before he leaned forwards and snapped: "Dude, are you acting like Luna on purpose? Do you think it's funny or something?" "Technically, as I am the older sibling, Luna acts like me." Sleipnir said pointedly, raising a hoof, and then Rainbow leaned forwards and seized a bun before throwing it firmly at the enormous equine's face. Sleipnir laughed and easily slid to the side, however, grinning slightly as he leaned back and said cheerfully: "Oh, come now! What's wrong with thee?" "Look. Maybe we're usually in better moods and I bet you would be great to hang out with if I was drunk, but honestly? Not right now." Rainbow Dash said shortly, sitting back and shaking his head firmly as he made a disgusted face. "We lost friends today. Three of them." "Two were friends. One was just a demon." Applejack muttered, shaking her head slowly... and then both ponies looked up in surprise when Sleipnir slammed a hoof into the table. He glared over the two, the joviality fading from his features... and the sudden seriousness of the enormous stallion made Applejack wince a little as she leaned back, as if realizing for the first time that the stallion was the size of a carriage and likely as strong as a dragon. "Just a demon? And what nonsense is that?" Sleipnir asked sharply, and Applejack couldn't help but swallow a little, feeling both guilty and even a little afraid at the way the male loomed upwards over the table, his hooves planted firmly against the wooden surface. "Just a demon! And I suppose thou art just a mare, and thy husband just a stallion: I suppose four of us here, the sweet little filly included, must just be worthless slave-hoofs, then, and the Pegasus nothing more than shorn-wing betrayer!" "I... I didn't... but she..." Applejack began nervously, and then she winced when Sleipnir shoved his way out of his seat and stormed around the table to glare down at her, staring up at the equine that had gone from child-like to imposing in a matter of moments. "But the demons-" "Can at least be counted on to show some honor and respect and loyalty, bah! I had expected so much more from both of thee." Sleipnir snorted as he shoved himself backwards, shaking his head moodily. "'But the demon,' how foolish, how childish! A friend is a friend, and they only cease to be a friend when we ourselves choose to make it so: oh, aye, it hurts to keep a friend through thick and thin and when the tides of the world turn to separate thee, and it aches so direly, so painfully, to face a friend in battle... but give me heartache, and I shall temper it with laughter and memory, so as to make my friends all the more valuable! I shall remember them with affection, not poison myself with hate and recrimination, for what is more telling of the truth of the heart than the pain one feels when faced with such awful tragedy as fighting one's own kin and kindred? "Thou art so foolishly convinced good and evil, right and wrong, Luna and Ponyville, that they are all 'sides,' but sides to what? Life is no game of dice nor runes nor coins!" Sleipnir gestured almost violently with a huff, shaking his head firmly as he glared over the two. "If thou had a disagreement between thee, would thou not attempt to reconcile it no matter how much it hurt, or would thou truly kill the bonds of love to try and run away from pain? If thou, Rainbow Dash, wert forced to live far away, were driven out of town by folly and circumstance, or if the ever-hungry war-machine turned upon thee, Applejack, with all the fury the politicians and the barons could muster up, would thou not send thy kisses still to Rainbow Dash, or would thou both decide 'oh, we must be enemies because the world says 'tis so, enemies cannot love, enemies must hate?' Childish! Folly!" Sleipnir huffed, and Applejack didn't even know what to say as Rainbow Dash only shrank slowly in his seat, before Big Mac looked up and said calmly: "Yup." And suddenly, Sleipnir was grinning again, looking warmly over at the red stallion as he shouted cheerfully: "Exactly! A pony who understands, finally, and may the blessings of Asgard hail down upon thee! Now come, enough foolishness, enough pathetic whining, up, up on thy hooves, all of thee, we have much to discuss but first I desire a game!" "A game?" Apple Bloom pushed through the door, looking eagerly up, a tray held tightly by the handle in her mouth with an apple pie and several other baked goods on it... and Sleipnir's eyes lit up at this before he seized the pie and greedily upturned it as he shoved his face forwards, the other ponies staring as he gobbled most of it down and sent a flurry of crumbs and smaller pieces flying in all directions and pattering down to the ground below. Then he simply tossed the empty pie plate aside and nodded firmly once as he wiped his foreleg across his muzzle, saying cheerfully as Apple Bloom stared up at him with something like awe: "Aye, a game! Filly, thou shalt be on my team, and we shall play against the others and show them just what the likes of us silly children can do, shall we? Now, where is a hoof-ball? Thou must surely have a ball of some kind here." "I, wait, I don't think..." Applejack began, but then she sighed as Apple Bloom hurriedly tossed the tray onto the table before charging down the steps with a giggle towards the storage shed, and Sleipnir laughed as he followed her before the goldenrod mare reached up and rubbed slowly at her face. Then she stared incredulously as Big Mac calmly climbed out of his seat and headed for the stairs, blurting: "Big Mac, no! You can't be serious!" "Yup." Big Mac only smiled over his shoulder and shrugged, and Applejack groaned and hammered a hoof against the table in frustration before she gave Rainbow Dash a sour look when he cleared his throat and carefully began to slip towards the field as well. "Maybe it'll be fun?" he said lamely, then he grinned and cleared his throat, straightening a bit. "Besides, you know me, can't turn down a challenge. Not even when it comes from a giant like him... but maybe if we beat this mighty Sleipnir at his own game he'll take us more seriously, you know?" Applejack sighed a little, and then she silently looked out into the field, watching as Big Mac helped set up goals and Apple Bloom happily bounced around with the giant, the pall of pain and depression her little sister had suffered since escaping the Greater Nightmare gone... and the mare sighed again, shoving herself out of her seat as she muttered: "Fine. I'm only doing this for Apple Bloom, though. The one thing that makes me hesitant to just kick the flank of that pony is the fact he's making my little sister smile." "Yeah, I guess he can't he can't be all bad." Rainbow Dash said softly, then he shook his head a bit and smiled a little, walking side-by-side with the mare into the field as he murmured: "And his advice made no sense at first but the more I think about it..." Applejack was silent, not wanting to admit the way it made the enormous earth pony's words made her insides twist and her mind feel heavy... but soon enough, she was distracted as Sleipnir cheerfully laid out the rules for a simple game of rugby. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had traded amused looks at this, since it would essentially be three-on-one. Apple Bloom, after all, was just a filly. Yet Sleipnir treated her like an equal teammate, which admittedly made it harder for both Applejack and Rainbow Dash to dislike him. All the same, Rainbow looked eager to show off both the strength he'd earned from both constant training as well as all the hard work around the farm, and Applejack flexed as Big Mac merely stood calmly, a wall of a red stallion. He looked a little concerned, but the others disregarded it, and Rainbow Dash laughed when Sleipnir said cheerfully: "Worry not, my teammate and I shall try our hardest not to win by too great a margin." "Yeah, okay, pal. We'll see what you think after I show you why I'm called Dash." Rainbow grinned slightly, leaning forwards and pawing a hoof at the ground eagerly, but Sleipnir had only smiled cheerfully in return. At first, it seemed easy: Applejack passed to Big Mac, who tossed an easy throw to Rainbow Dash as the Pegasus shot over Sleipnir and Apple Bloom all the way to the end zone, scoring the first point. He had danced around a little and Sleipnir had laughed even as Apple Bloom had grumbled, but the giant had only winked to her and said kindly: "Let them have a little fun, my friend." They scored twice more... and then, as Big Mac had run down the field, Sleipnir had calmly stepped in front of him... and Applejack had gaped as her brother charged into the enormous earth pony but bounced off like he was nothing more than a child, falling on his back with a grunt of surprise before Sleipnir had picked up the ball and given it to Apple Bloom, saying kindly: "Go ahead." Rainbow recovered from his shock fast enough to shoot forwards and steal the ball back from the filly before she had managed more than a few feet... and then he squeaked when he tried to shoot past Sleipnir and the earth pony seized him by the head before shoving him flat into the ground beside where Big Mac was still laying, waggling his other front hoof and saying kindly: "No, no, what kind of athlete art thou? Bah, all of thee are too intent on winning instead of playing the game for fun! Now give the ball back to the filly." Rainbow dumbly held up the ball, and Apple Bloom giggled despite herself before she took it and hurried off towards the end zone. Applejack, meanwhile, was only staring at Sleipnir: he was still smiling calmly, almost childishly, but without even a glance he had snatched Rainbow out of the air like a paper plane and Big Mac hadn't been able to so much as budge the giant. Then she winced as she heard a cheer from behind her, turning around to see Apple Bloom had scored before Sleipnir clapped and laughed. "Excellent! Now the game begins!" By the end of their thirty minute game, Applejack was breathing hard as she sat back on the steps, Big Mac was covered in sweat and rubbing slowly at his head, and Rainbow Dash was laying prone on the grass and refused to move as Apple Bloom laughed and danced around with Sleipnir in the field. The cheerful giant had bludgeoned, bullied, and bashed his way through them like they were toys, and no matter what they did, he'd always easily outwitted or simply outdone them with his behemoth size and incredible strength. When Rainbow Dash tried to fly overhead, Sleipnir had easily leapt high into the air and slammed a hoof into the ball, sending both it and the Pegasus flying across the field with a squeak. When the Pegasus tried flying even higher, obviously frustrated, Sleipnir has whispered something to Apple Bloom, who had nodded rapidly with trust and adoration, and then to Applejack's horror the earth pony had picked the filly up and thrown her like a rocket. His aim had been perfect, sending her crashing into Rainbow Dash's face, and the Pegasus had yelled incoherently as he'd veered violently back and forth while Apple Bloom fell... but with a cheerful grin, Sleipnir had easily run across the field, leapt up and caught the filly, and then thrown himself backwards and caught Rainbow Dash as well before he could crash. The Pegasus had grinned and looked awkward... and then Sleipnir had thrown him with the same ease he'd thrown Apple Bloom across the field and into the endzone, saying cheerfully: "Point!" Possibly because she'd wanted to inflict a little revenge and pain on the male, Applejack had ordered a full-out charge and she, her brother, and Rainbow Dash had attempted to ram their way through the earth pony... and although they succeeded in sending him skidding backwards, he had then simply laughed, then knocked them down one-by-one like they were children before picking up the ball and walking cheerfully over them. Other humiliating tactics included throwing Apple Bloom as she'd held onto the ball, sending her over their heads and into the end zone, simply trampling them if they attempted to get in his way, and more than once laughing and picking them up when they had the ball, and carrying them all the way through their own goal. They had almost gotten around this once, when Big Mac had hurriedly passed the ball to Rainbow Dash... but then Sleipnir had simply thrown the enormous red stallion into the blue Pegasus like he was nothing more than a sack of grain. The game had proven that he was stronger, smarter, and faster than any of them had suspected: the childish game had proven that Sleipnir was everything he boasted about being, and he was still cheerfully playing with Apple Bloom, as if on top of everything else the earth pony never tired. It made Applejack frustrated on one hoof, but on the other, also brought faint hope to her heart... after all, for all her talk, she knew that the chances of anypony beating Luna or Scrivener in a fight were minimal. But now that they had this jovial giant, this unstoppable warrior on their side... Yet all the same, she felt hesitant: after all, even Celestia had been corrupted... and Sleipnir talked like he was still friends with his sister, like he wasn't willing to kill her no matter what... like somehow, he still clung to the ridiculous notion that Luna and Scrivener could be saved. That they were still friends, and should be treated as such... and then she sighed as Apple Bloom and the giant finally fell over in the field to gaze up at the twilit sky, the mare shaking her head slowly before she muttered: "Well, I'm gonna go have a shower." "I'm going to join you." Rainbow said tiredly, and he shook his rainbow-colored mane out as he muttered: "But in all honesty I think I just want someone else in the bathtub with me to make sure I don't fall over and drown. Every single part of my body hurts." Applejack grimaced and nodded in agreement as Big Mac only nodded with a wince, rubbing at the back of his neck... and as the mare and the Pegasus headed inside, Sleipnir smiled and rubbed at his grass-stained armor, looking warmly over at Apple Bloom and saying kindly: "I heard, young one, that thou hast not been well lately. That thou misses a friend of thine, my sister's daughter... my niece, Scarlet Sage. Is it true?" Apple Bloom fell quiet as she looked up at the darkening sky, nodding slowly once, and Sleipnir half-rolled onto his side as he gazed at the filly, saying gently: "Oh, now, there I recognize that look all too well. Thou hast been separated from thy lady-love, is this not so?" The filly blushed deeply at this, looking awkwardly towards Sleipnir before shrinking a little even as she gave the smallest of nods, but Sleipnir only smiled: both warm and sad, the earth pony leaning forwards and saying quietly: "Well, worry not, child. Aye, the pain is great now, and unfair and unfathomable, but thou will appreciate what it teaches thee when 'tis over. When thou art reunited with thy sweet, thou shall be able to recall what it was like when thou were forced to be without her. It shall ensure thou does not take her for granted, and that even should thou fight about thy lady-mare things, thou will still cherish her and never risk throwing her away over some silly quarrel." He nodded firmly once, then looked back up at the night sky as Apple Bloom hesitantly gazed over at him, then said quietly: "You ain't... I mean, well, you... how do you balance it all, Mr. Sleipnir? You talk about Luna so much, but you also seem determined to help stop her... how do you love your family, and fight against 'em?" Sleipnir was quiet for a few moments, and then he turned his eyes towards Apple Bloom, saying softly: "It is hard. It is one of the hardest things in the world, perhaps... balancing love and duty. But it must be done... honor, loyalty, love, these are all important things. And it helps to remember that it would hurt my sister more if I did not fight against her, if I did not stand up for my beliefs and merely bowed my head like a coward to what she has done. For we both know she has hurt me, and hurt what I stand for, even if I do adore her and do wish to see her happy, and when we meet I shan't raise my hoof to her but instead will embrace her as little sister she shall always be to me. "Aye, I am not saying these bonds cannot be broken, that blood cannot sour, that friendships cannot die... I only say that they can be maintained, for the price of pain, and strengthened even when we face friend as enemy." Sleipnir paused meditatively, looking up at the sky above before he reached out and wrapped a foreleg around the filly with a smile. "But for all that she has done, I know my sister has maintained her own honor, however dark and bent and odd it may be. She indulges in things I do not approve, she has done a thing I must stop... but I still understand why. I still see in her... my baby sister. I know that I must fight and stop her, but... I will do it as gently as possible." Apple Bloom nodded slowly, and then Sleipnir said quietly: "And I know... thou art strained thyself, little one. Thou loves the enemy, whom thy family... does not all accept. 'Tis not fair to put such a strain on one so young. But know that it will make thy bonds stronger... and remember that even with the world against thee, love may find a way. It certainly did for my sister, no? Say what thou will about her relationship with Scrivener, but 'tis majestic all the same... the Valkyrie and the Tyrant Wyrm, and worse still, the poet and the warrior! What a sweet and impossible image it is!" Sleipnir laughed, and Apple Bloom smiled a little up at him, nodding and looking reassured as she let herself curl a bit closer before the gigantic earth pony sighed and grinned down at her, shaking his head slowly. "Why can't thou be a mare, though, Apple Bloom? Or even just a little older! I would try to steal such a pretty and intelligent thing as thee away from thy Scarlet Sage, if only for a night, if but for an hour!" Apple Bloom blushed and laughed, and Sleipnir smiled at the filly before he reached up and ruffled her mane, then sat up and shook his head, gazing down at her kindly. "But as thou art too young for me and I am too large for thee, I shall instead petition thy sister to come with me one day when I go to Castle Enstasis. We shall find thy lady-love, this I swear by my honor and by Asgard." "Really?" Apple Bloom rolled up to her hooves, blushing deeply as she gazed up at him ardently. "I... thank you, mister, but... I really don't think my sister is going to go for it..." But Sleipnir only grinned widely and winked, leaning down and saying kindly: "Not at first perhaps, no. But fear not, filly. Should worst come to worst, I may not be able to bring thee to thy lady-love... I shall bring thy lady-love to thee. And that is my promise." Sleipnir pounded a hoof against his armored chest, and Apple Bloom looked up at him with warmth, finding it strangely easy to trust the giant. His eyes shone with his honesty, his warmth, his compassion, and he leaned down and ruffled her mane again before firmly kissing her forehead, saying kindly: "Now run along, child. And remember, it is good to smile, even when thou art sad, and it is no crime to be happy even in the worst of times. Thy family cares for thee and was happy to see thee happy tonight, and that gives me hope that one day they shall better understand thee and accept thy lady-love." Apple Bloom blushed and nodded a few times before hurrying off, and the enormous equine laughed before shaking his head slowly and heading towards the steps. He smiled slightly at Big Mac as he passed, and the red stallion glanced up at him, then nodded slowly... before staring as Sleipnir grabbed the back of his head, yanking him forwards to plant a firm kiss upon the crimson pony's forehead. "Worry not, I shan't leave thee out, handsome and wise hoof-brother! Now come, I demand thy company tonight, let us head out and make merry at a tavern together!" Big Mac didn't even know how to respond, and so he only sighed as Sleipnir nodded a few times rapidly, the red earth pony mumbling a disconsolate: "Yup." before dropping his head forwards and following as the giant laughed and cheerfully paraded into the house. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story